What have I missed?

Like many UK Sky Sports subscribers, I was so pissed when I found out that the broadcaster was no longer showing La Liga games.

I do sometimes wonder what I pay my subscription for. I mean, Sky no longer have a monopoly on Premier League games and any decent boxing event is now behind the Sky Box Office pay-per-view wall. You’d think that for half the value, they’d slash the subscription cost? Nope, that goes up like clockwork.
Anyway, I digress.

Shadow of greatness

Thankfully there is BT sport. At least there, I can console myself in the magic of the Champion League. I can get my fill of Messi and... of course, what’s left at The Bernabeu in the wake of Ronaldo’s departure.
By the evidence of tonight’s match, Ronaldo did not leave much behind him when he left.

Last summer, it was thought that the like of Bale and Asensio would be able to emerge out of the shadow of a Turin bound Ronaldo, so Madrid did not dip into the transfer market to replace the last of the Galácticos. However, the pair have been sidelined, relegated to the bench in favour of Lucas Vazquez and Vinicius Junior.
It says much for Madrid’s plight that so much hope has been pinned on 18-year-old Vinicius Jr even though the young Brazilian forward has only mustered 3 goals this season.

Missing a talisman

Alongside Ronaldo, Madrid missed two other influential figures last night. They missed the French maestro Zidane pulling the strings in the dressing room.

What they wouldn't do for the former World Footballer of the Year to return from his hiatus back to Madrid!

And on the night they also missed their captain, Sergio Ramos. Ramos must be now rueing his decision to pick up a deliberate yellow card in the first leg, in the expectation that this would be a good game to miss.

Credit Ajax

None of the criticism levelled at Madrid should distract from the stellar performance turned on by Ajax. They were everything Madrid weren’t on the night. Young, fresh, arrogant and full of attacking ideas. It’s easy to see why the top clubs are sniffing around their talent with the likes of Frenkie de Jong already bound for Barcelona.

A manager on the brink

Speaking of Barca, this heavy defeat coming off the back of two defeats to arch-rivals Barcelona must mean that Santiago Solari’s job hangs in the balance.

For the Champions League winners to suffer a 4-1 defeat at home having won the first leg away is almost unthinkable. Madrid were knocked out of the Copa Del Rey last week, and are now languishing 12 points behind Barcelona in the league. It is incredible to think we're are barely in March and the mighty Real Madrid have virtually nothing to play for…

Show-stoppers

Oh, what a difference nine months makes…. In May last year, a Gareth Bale brace saw Madrid retain their Champions League title. It was the 12th time Madrid were crowned the best in Europe.
Now one of the most prestigious clubs in world football has a massive rebuilding exercise ahead of them.

Madrid will surely spend big in the summer. Clubs around Europe will not sleep easy, knowing that Madrid will be sniffing around for major signings.

Least of all Ajax.

If for some of their players, tonight was an audition for the big stage, they’d have done more than enough to get the part… they effectively stole the show!